ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a combination of enuresis alarm-desmopressin compared with a desmopressin-based combined pharmacotherapy as the first line in monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (MNE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 48 MNE children. Of these, 20 enuretic children were included in the alarm-desmopressin group (AD group) and 28 in the combination pharmacotherapy group (CP group). In the CP group, patients were given desmopressin based combination therapy with imipramine or oxybutynin for 6 months. In the AD group, patients were administered an enuresis alarm associated with an initial 3-month desmopressin combination. The response rates of each therapy were analyzed after 1, 3 and 6 months. After cessation of the 6 month treatment course, the initial and lasting cure rates were analyzed 1 and 6 month later. RESULTS: There was no differentiation in the baseline characteristics and drop-out rates between the two groups during treatment. The mean response rates in the AD and CP groups were 91.8 and 93.7%, respectively. The initial cure rate was higher in the AD (92.3%) than the CP group (52.4%) (p=0.024). The lasting cure rate was also higher in the AD (76.9%) than the CP group (33.3%) (p=0.032). Most of the relapses occurred within 2 month in the CP group and within 4 month in the AD group. CONCLUSIONS: In MNE, a combination of enuresis alarm-desmopressin showed a similar response rate, high initial and lasting cure rates, with a delayed relapse, compared with combination pharmacotherapy. Therefore, a combination of enuresis alarm-desmopressin can be considered a useful tool as the first line in MNE. (Korean J Urol 2005;46:19-24)